


Why 6 Was Afraid of 7

by Innosinned



Category: Numbers - Fandom, math - Fandom
Genre: Alliteration, Gen, Math, numbers, puns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-21
Updated: 2017-04-21
Packaged: 2018-10-22 01:17:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10686807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Innosinned/pseuds/Innosinned
Summary: “This is absolutely best student work I have ever read.”-R. Wetzel(Teacher)





	Why 6 Was Afraid of 7

  
  


Why was Six afraid of Seven? 

No number knew quite for sure, but Six sensed Seven’s sickening spirit some time before she even knew what it was that made her uneasy about him. It wasn’t something you could know by looking at him. In having a conversation with him, you would never notice anything different about Seven than any of the other numbers. The way he spoke and carried a conversation was never unusual, never questionable. But somehow, against all logic and in pure instinct, Six knew that something was wrong with Seven. Sadly, Six’s suspicions stayed unsupported, so no numbers could believe what she would claim. How could they? 

“I don’t know, don’t you think there’s…. Just something about Seven?” Six would ask. Numbers shook their heads no. “Seems normal to me.” “Why do you always have to be so paranoid, Six? What did Seven ever do to you?” Six was unable to answer. It did seem silly, but still. Six stuck to instinct. “If you don’t stop trying to turn us against each other, Six, we’re going to have to reconsider our relationship. It’s just not healthy to be so suspicious of a number for no reason.” said Eight. Six had nothing to say for herself. But she stood by what she said. “...I’d say it’s even less healthy to be around that unhealthy number.” Eight severed Six. But who cared about Eight anyway? Always lording their fancy belt around, making Zero look fat. 

Six had been outcast by her circle of friends for some time now. The other numbers called her ‘that weirdo with the conspiracy theories’ and ‘an irrational number’, which was simply not true. Six could be expressed as the quotient of two integers, perfectly rational. But as much as being a social pariah Six was, nobody ever informed Seven of her wild allegations. If they did, Seven showed no change by this information. Everything had remained the same after Six spoke her mind, except Six was now subtracted from the other numbers.

But somehow Six knew that she was right in her suspicions. She wasn’t sure what she suspected him of, but he was guilty. Six just needed to find a way to show it. But once she found it, she wished she hadn’t.

Six and Nine were very close. Even more close than Four and Twenty. At least, they used to be. After Nine became friends with Seven, they drifted apart. Six loved being close to Nine, but couldn’t stand being around Seven for more than necessary. They hadn’t talked for awhile now, but Six called them on the phone. Six was hoping Nine could invite her over to Seven’s house, where maybe she could find a bit of evidence to either confirm or allay her suspicions. Six dialed Nine’s number, The phone rang all times, then disappointingly asked her to leave a message at the tone. Six left a message, but wondered why Nine wouldn’t answer her. Were they not friends anymore after not speaking for so long? Had Nine heard what the other numbers had been saying about her? Did Nine think she was an irrational number now too? Perhaps Nine had become such close friends with Seven she no longer needed Six as a friend, especially one that had rumors surrounding them and questionable mental health. Six’s mind raced with untestable hypotheses, her fear growing. Why wouldn’t Nine pick up? Has something awful happened to them? But Six stopped. This, she thought. This is why the other numbers call me paranoid. Six concluded that Nine was merely away from their phone at the moment, perhaps in the bathroom, or her ringer on silent. Nonetheless, Six spent the rest of the day thinking of different scenarios about Nine.

Night had fallen, with infinite stars like spilled milk on an uncharacteristically brackish colored canvas of a sky. The landscape was all black silhouettes, defined but not detailed.  Six had left her house and was making her way to Seven’s. I’m rational, this is rational, Six assured herself. It was completely rational for a number to go to another’s house at night if they had grounded suspicions. Nine hadn’t answered her phone. This means that it was perfectly rational for Six to climb Seven’s fence, slide open the kitchen window, and make sure that she wasn’t there. Six was simply ensuring their safety. She just didn’t trust Nine being alone with  _ Seven _ and now there was proof. Nine not picking up when she called was a little piece of evidence against Seven that Six had been waiting for. Nevermind all the other numbers who called her paranoid, who said she was just looking for trouble, this was real. She could just feel it.

Silently stepping, Six surveyed Seven’s possessions. Every piece of furniture felt so questionable, yet there was nothing you could question about it. The chairs were chairs, the side tables were side tables, you would never be able to call out anything, lest yourself be called out for being unreasonable. The wallpaper was almost  _ too _ normal, the amount of clutter and amount of clean was too expectable! But with every suspicious thought, Six felt shame. She had broke into an innocent number’s house, looking around for reasons to prove that he is not who he seems. Six’s self-awareness had surpassed her suspicion. The other numbers were right. It was creepy and wrong to go on nothing but intuition, to choose your delusions over the majority’s consensus. Six turned to leave, every moment more she stayed in Seven’s house made her feel dirty to the core.

But out of the corner of her field of vision, Six saw something. Six stopped and approached it, sitting solemnly on the side table. Six picked it up, turned it over, mind racing. It can’t be- I’m just being suspicious again- she fretted, and curiosity ordered her to open it. She had to be sure. Inside, the screen blinked a flash of blue, it’s digital text reading “One new message”, the caller’s number from her. That settled it. This was undoubtedly Nine’s phone. But why here? Why would Nine’s phone be in Seven’s house? Why would- Six had to stop herself. She was being suspicious again, when she knew the right thing to assume would be that they forgot it while visiting here. That was probably the exact reason they hadn’t picked up. Six was done being the irrational number, done with the conspiracies, and done being an outcast of the community.

But in the wake of all that Six had been finished with, no force could stop the nature of who she was. All the numbers of the world, from negative infinity to Nine could have disowned her, but Six was herself, and no other number could she be. 

Six couldn’t stop herself. And what horrors she saw left her shook to her core. It was an atrocity no imagination could procure, an alarming display that would make any faint of heart number wish to vomit. Six was sickened. She took a few steps back, and a flicker in her mind had screamed ‘I was right! I was right! Oh dear god I was right! Oh god! Oh my god!’ Six couldn’t move her gaze away from the scene, it was too twisted, like nothing you’d believe. All the nights wondering about Seven, pondering what about him that made her feel so tense; in all the thinking and planning she had never supposed for an instant it would be severe as this! Not even a paranoid number like Six could’ve dreamt up what their neighbor would be doing was this monstrosity. If only I had trusted my instincts, Six reflected, barely able to breathe.

Six had just opened the door to Seven’s room. After much deliberating and internal guilt-tripping, her curiosity overcame her, and she had decided to look further into the house. She knew what she was doing was questionable-no-just plain wrong, but she needed closure. Anything to put her rampant worries to rest, she shall seek out and find, then that would be the end of it. Six would be able to sleep at night without being kept awake with the thoughts of what she might’ve missed. So Six stayed and snooped, but what she saw would ensure that she would never sleep soundly again. Six had crept quietly up the stairs carefully so as to not make a single creak, and slinked down the hallway, analyzing for any aberrations in average decor. It was the last door at the end of the hallway on the right that she opened. There was no particular reason why Six had chose that door-the only explanation was instinct. And in that door was the most grisly sight she had seen in all her days. Six had turned the knob ever so slowly, then with a silent swish made the room whole to see.

Seven stopped, spinning slowly to see Six standing stock-still and stared. Six stared back. There was one lamp in the room, normal too, but the warm orange glow on the setting made it unsettling. The average carpets were clad in blood, leaving a glistening ruby glint on the normal wooden paneling. Gaze travels the blood, and finds the source lying dead on their back, bearing a macabre face of unbridled fright. It pained Six to look at so much so she could feel herself making the same expression. Seven stood over the body, draped in a red of an obvious origin. The body was motionless, yet had the illusion of still kicking, screaming, begging for life, compelling Six to save them, though they were already beyond gone. Seven’s serifs were sharp and crimson, the light casting a shine on them to look like the knives they were undoubtedly used as. The characteristic ‘dash’ that Seven always wore on his midsection, once a decorative accessory, became a deadly weapon, an evil, violent sword swiped across his body. The fresh corpse had appalling open wounds all over, scattered like blueberries in a pancake. Unable to look directly at it, there appeared to be deep, dug-in bites around the middle, showing ripped-up exposed parts of what made Six look away, shaking.

In everything that Six took in of those several seconds surveying the scene, the world became closed. Numb to the numbers she knew before and now, Six was nearly numb to herself. Everything she feared of Seven before, was not nearly fear enough. The previous night of worry about Nine was nowhere near worry enough! Six’s seemingly silly instincts suspecting numbers were quickly counted out without question. No number counted on Six to be correct, and secretly, not even Six could count on her correctness. But oh! What Six would’ve done to be proven wrong! No amount of rumination could have prepared her for this!

Seven stood, silent, as if waiting for something to be said. Six was sick, her vision dipping back and forth. The suspicious number and her closest friend she had worried over. This was all simply too much. Feeling the weight leave her body, the last sight she saw was still the unspeakable scene, right before the world went black. It was the scene the other numbers talked about for years.

Seven ate Nine.


End file.
